To most, mythology is a collection of anecdotes concerning great warriors and kings who slaughter their way through enemies to bring about victory to their cause. The measure of blood spilt serves for them the second function of acting as a criterion for determining those worthy of epic documentation. This common misperception is a veil of ignorance that blinds the literary world. It can be found through a closer examination of human values that whether it be throughout history or in the modern world, the qualities that stand out most are those of harmony, not conflict. There have been countless military leaders who have left an unfading scar on humanity, but it is those who revolutionize the world through peace who leave a timelessly heroic mark in the hearts of mankind. Hestia, the goddess of the heart, is one such character whose eternal love of compassion are and will forever be valued for their significance to man.
The Greek poet Hesoid was the first to put the goddess of Hestia down on paper (Carter). She entered the realm of Greek mythology as the eldest daughter of Cronus and his sister, Rhea (Carter). To the Romans, she was known as Vesta (Tripp). While Hestia, or Vesta, has few stories written about her, the few tales in existence offer definitive insight into her august nature.
After birth, Hestia, like her siblings, was ingested by her father to prevent potential cosmic usurpation. Cronus's effort was ultimately futile, however, as the escaped Zeus liberated his brothers and sisters. Under his command, Hestia and her siblings overthrew the tyrannical Cronus and established a new order of divine rule. Being a key revolutionary, Hestia was given one of the original twelve Olympian seats of godly power. These twelve seats were the ultimate symbols of power and prestige and as such, the gods and goddesses who sat upon them were the center of mythological life. They were the envy of gods and goddesses everywhere. Dionysus, a major divinity, rose up and demanded vehemently that she be given a seat. Rather than warring against Dionysus or even allowing the conflict to prolong, Hestia willingly ceded her royal seat. She chose instead to spend her days tending to the sacred fire on Mt. Olympus and aiding the lives of hardworking mortals ("Hestia").
Hestia's traits of peace and compassion, as demonstrated by this story, are the dominant traits that make her stand out in the plethora of classical mythological figures. Instead of taking a stance of stubbornness and bickering with Dionysus for the Olympian seat of power, Hestia complacently closed the door of conflict and gave her seat to the challenger. True to her principles, Hestia's entire life was lived without confrontation, whether in mortal or heavenly affairs (Parada). Her days were spent benevolently caring for both the gods on Mt. Olympus and the mortals they ruled over (Stewart). Because of her tendency to venture down to the human realm and protect orphans and rebuild grieving families, Hestia was also known as the guardian of lost children (Stewart). Additionally, Hestia's concern for the welfare of humanity led her to invent the method for building houses and shelters ("Hestia"). This discovery led to a significant improvement in man's quality of life. Hestia rejected the marriage proposals of both Poseidon and Apollo, choosing instead to fully devote her life to helping the needy. As such, it is not hard to see why the unknown Greek author of The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite listed Hestia as one of the few divinities not subject to desire (Carter). Hestia's ability to pass over honor and power in favor of wholesome philanthropy clearly makes her worthy of mythological fame.
In addition to possessing irrefutable charity, Hestia was of paramount status to the ancients. As goddess of the hearth, Hestia tended to all the fireplaces in both heaven and earth (Tripp). While this may seem a miniscule detail to the modern man, the hearth was an item central to ancient life. "The hearth fire of a Greek or Roman household was not allowed to go out, unless it was ritually extinguished and ritually renewed" ("Hestia"). The hearth was so key to the Greek and Roman way of life that "at the more developed level of the poleis Hestia symbolized the alliance between the colonies and their mother cities ("Hestia")." Being so instrumental, all prayers and sacrifices at Greek and Roman gatherings were given both first and last to Hestia (Parada). From this perspective, Hestia's grandeur surpassed even that of the mighty Zeus.
Hestia and all she represented have retained their significance against the test of time and even extend into the modern era. While many contemporary heroes exemplify those traits that Hestia stood for, Martin Luther King Jr. distinctively shines through as the modern form of Hestia. Born January 15th, 1929 into a segregated American society, King spent his lifetime campaigning for African American equality ("Martin"). In fact, "King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action. ("Martin")" Like Hestia however, King was a vocal opponent of physical conflict. In all his exploits, regardless of the potential glory or gain, King never resorted to violence. Every attempt at change was led in a civil manner. In both Hestia and King's hate of violent conflict, love and caring for mankind can be found. Hestia demonstrated her caring both through her daily actions and one of her most significant achievements, the invention of the house. Likewise, King demonstrated continually against injustice and was a primary cause of the desegregation of whites and blacks in the United States.
Aside from living lives devoted to humanity, caring for others, and causing history altering revolutions, Hestia and King share the more fundamental attribute of upholding an indispensable part of society. Hestia's tending of the Greeks' sacred fireplaces can be equated with King's renewal of the democratic tradition. Martin Luther King Jr. labored for equality and representation, ideals inherent to a legitimate democracy. Like with King, Hestia's universal status can be found in the entire line of those who stand for justice in the face of tyranny. Those who dissent in democracy provide the same vitality to government as Hestia did to the Greek hearth.
Kindness and prominence are qualities that can be revered without limit. Hestia, in sacrificing self glory for humanitarian welfare, in relinquishing personal luxury for devoted service, and in bringing the comfort of shelter to mankind, was the quintessence of those qualities. In more modern times, Martin Luther King Jr. and dissenters everywhere bring new meaning to those universal ideals. King turned his love for the well-being of his fellow people into a policy of non-violence. He stood strong in the face of racial oppression and tore down the walls of unjust segregation. Through their exploits, Hestia and King make it blindingly obvious that the ring of heroes is not reserved solely for dramatic warriors and violent revolutionaries, but is rather a place where those who have made a difference stand for recognition. In the end, those who have wrecked and killed for their accomplishments can at best be titled wise users of injustice. It is those who stood with open arms and not closed fists who have truly earned the right to be remembered as one worthy of the title, mythology.
Works Cited
Carter, Philips F. World Book. 2006. V9 (H).
"Hestia." Wikipedia. August 15, 2006. . August 24th, 2006.
"Martin Luther King Biography." Nobelprize.org. 2006. . August 27th, 2006.
Parada, Carlos. "Hestia." Greek Mythology Link. 1997. . August 24, 2006.
Stewart, Micheal. "Hestia." Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. November 14, 2005. . August 24, 2006.
Tripp, Edward. Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, NY. 1970.